Events

We will be assembling 250 back packs full of school supplies to be distributed by the Bridge Ministries Food Pantry. We are asking for monetary donations. The club will match donations up to $1000, the goal is to have $2000 to be able to purchase enough supplies for 250 backpacks. We will then assemble the backpacks during a meeting. 

Bryan and College Station presidents will share thier plans for thier clubs and how they operate: Main fundraisers, biggest events and Club's Vision 

Curtis Bio

Curtis Donaldson was born and raised in Valley Mills Texas, so a rural Texan by birth!

He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1981 with a BBA in Management. While attending A&M he was a member of the Fightin Texas Aggie Band where he also served as B Company Commander, was a Bugle Rank Member and a Ross Volunteer.

Upon graduation he headed to Ft Sill as 2^nd Lt and then served 10 years in the Texas Army National Guard in Field Artillery units in Odessa and San Angelo. He also worked for Conoco during this same 10-year period in Midland, Houston, Maljamar, NM and San Angelo.

Leaving corporate America, he started his own business located in Georgetown, TX known as CleanFUEL USA, focusing on technology for the propane vehicle marketplace. At one-point CFUSA had operations on 4 continents and in the USA had customers such as UPS, TxDOT, General Motors and Freightliner.

After 25 years of running CFUSA, he sold the business in an attempt to slow down and he moved to Mason, Texas. There he met and married his wife Mary and between the two they share 6 kids! A few months later a small community bank would hire him to help grow their business. As a community banker he threw himself into the community and worked tirelessly on many initiatives such as Economic Development, Chamber of Commerce, ISD Committees, Community Advocate Leadership Team and most recently helped spearhead the capital campaign to raise $5.2 million to help rebuild their burned courthouse.

Along that journey Texas A&M School of Medicine engaged Curtis to help them think through a Rural Medicine Initiative strategy and eventually they would pilot that program in Mason County. The Mason pilot results were so good it spread to the 5 surrounding counties and those results have been so good they had inquiries from other counties as word spread among medical providers and County Judges. Texas A&M then elected to take the program statewide and asked Donaldson to lead that charge. With his roots in rural Texas from Valley Mills to his now living in rural Mason, he is even more passionate about changing the landscape of rural medicine and has been moved by the impact the program is already having in so many communities.

Curtis works 50% for the Office of the President as their Director of Community Engagement for Rural Texas and 50% for the School of Medicine as their Director of Rural Medicine.  

Brett McCully, P.E.

Chief Facilities Officer

The Texas A&M University System

Brett received a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona California in 1985.  After working in land development engineering for both municipal and consultant employers, Brett returned to TX in 1992 joining the engineering staff at the City of College Station.  After 11 years handling development review and capital project management, Brett took over management of the local consulting office of Bleyl Engineering, In 2010 Brett joined the City of Bryan Engineering staff to assist with floodplain management but soon found himself also handling development review and capital project management again.  Brett accepted a project management position with the Texas A&M University System Facilities Planning and Construction group in 2014, and in June of 2021 was named as Chief Facilities Officer and assumed leadership of the group implementing all capital projects under the Texas A&M University System state-wide.  Brett lives near Edge, TX with his wife Carolyn and uncounted pets, livestock and wildlife.

Nancy Browning is the Development Director for Voices for Children, CASA of the Brazos Valley. She is a class of 1990 graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Sociology. She began her service in the child welfare sector in 1990 as a Child Protective Services caseworker, where she first became aware of the CASA program.
Life’s journey has taken her to Beaumont, McAllen, and back to College Station. Along the way, she has served as a parish administrator for a church, website developer, and Communications Director at A&M UMC. In 2017, she became a CASA volunteer, serving on cases in Grimes, Burleson, and Brazos County. Nancy joined the staff of Voices for Children as an Advocate Supervisor in 2018.
Nancy has been married to Mark for thirty-five years and has three adult children, two grandchildren, and three grandpuppies. Nancy serves on the board of the Dispute Resolution Center. In her spare time, she billets three hockey players for the local NA3HL hockey team. Nancy & Mark attend St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Bryan,

Over the past fifteen years, Rickard Blomberg has been instrumental in leading the expansion of the number one strength company Eleiko’s presence in the United States, establishing it as one of the most respected names in strength training equipment worldwide. His leadership in this role connected him with athletes and fitness enthusiasts across the country, fostering communities built on strength, health, and wellness, and he continues daily to create a positive impact for Eleiko’s customers and partners. With a wealth of experience from his previous roles as a spa and fitness director at luxury brands such as Ritz Carlton and Six Senses Spas, combined with a master's degree in hospitality from Cornell University, Rickard brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit and holistic wellness expertise to the fitness industry.

Beyond the world of fitness, Rickard is a passionate barbecue aficionado, affectionately known as "The Smoking Swede." His love for mastering Texas-style BBQ reflects the same dedication and precision he applies to all his pursuits, whether it’s smoking meats or leading a business. Whether in the gym or at the smoker, Rickard’s commitment to promoting a life of balance, well-being, and great taste shines through in everything he does.

Phil Shackelford has called the Brazos Valley his home since 2002 with only a couple of brief stints that took him to Austin and West Texas.  Raised in Plainview, TX, Phil graduated from Plainview High School and attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America before continuing his education at Texas A&M University.  Phil currently owns Shackelford Consulting, a government affairs firm focused on grant writing and government consulting, which has a successful track record of securing funding for meaningful infrastructure projects across the Brazos Valley.  Prior to that, Phil served as the Associate Director of the Blinn College Foundation and Alumni Relations also holding the distinction of overseeing and developing the most successful fundraising event in the over 135 year history of Blinn College.  Phil also previously worked for Congressman Chet Edwards as a field representative in a five county area including Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Robertson and Brazos Counties.  Every day in the Congressional Office could range from working with local officials on transportation or public safety projects, to providing aid for a downed grain elevator in Calvert, TX, to tracking over $243 Million in innovative research at Texas A&M.  After his time on Congressional Staff, Phil established a consulting firm with clients ranging from many local elected officials, local non-profit organizations seeking help in fundraising, and many other projects.  Throughout his time in business and government service, Phil has worked diligently on campaigns and policy at the local, state, and federal level in various capacities.  Phil currently serves as Past Board Chair of the Bryan College Station Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Legislative Affairs Committee, Rotary District 5910 District Governor Nominee Designate, and a past President and proud member of the Rotary Club of Aggieland.  Phil, a Paul Harris Society Member believes in the good that the Rotary Foundation does in the world, and always seeks to find ways to encourage giving.  He married the love of his life Kyndra, who works as a Business Manager for the Geochemical Environmental Research Group at Texas A&M University.

We will not be having our usualy lunch meeting, instead we will be gathering in the evening at the Patterson's for our Pints for Polio event. Come and join us for a fun night of fellowship, eating and raising money for Polio. More to come... 

Join for a fun trivia game

Mark Sicilio, M.D., F.A.A.P. ’78, ‘81

Clinical Associate Professor

Associate Head

Department of Humanities in Medicine

School of Medicine

Texas AM University

 

A graduate of the Charter Class of the College of Medicine, Dr. Sicilio has worked in Pediatrics for and with infants, children, adolescents and young adults for 35 years, and was the initial physician for the Scott & White Clinic, College Station, where he worked 35 years. His teaching and educational efforts have included advocating for inter-collegiate and inter-professional collaboration on the Core Curriculum Committee of the University and has participated in a wide variety of curricular revisions and offerings in the College of Medicine. He serves as a frequent Clinical Sciences Integration Exercise (CSIE) facilitator and a member of the Quiz Review Committee. In Pediatrics, Dr. Sicilio served as discipline leader for pre-clinical efforts and lecturer on a wide range of topics regarding infants through young adults, and as faculty advisor for the Pediatric Interest Group. As Associate Head, Department of Humanities in Medicine, he's worked collaboratively on developing and participating in Clinical Reasoning experiences, White Coat Experience debriefings, facilitating small group discussions on ethical issues in the Practice of Medicine (PoM) curriculum, course director for our Medical Spanish offerings, and has offered selective experiences discussing the “Lives, Times, and Health of Famous Americans and Texans.”

 

Resident of College Station from 1961-present

Graduate of the Charter Class, Texas AM University College of Medicine, 1981

Chief Resident in Pediatrics, Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinic, 1983-4

Founder, A&M Pediatrics, College Station, 1984

Member, Department of Pediatrics and Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine

First Physician, Scott & White Clinic, College Station, 1985

Founding Director, Department of Pediatrics, Scott & White, College Station, 1985

Texas Monthly Super Doctor

Recipient, Gold Foundation Outstanding Faculty Humanism Award, College of Medicine

Recipient, Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching, School of Medicine

Leader, Faculty Senate Caucus, School of Medicine, Faculty Senate, Texas A&M University

The Project Linus mission is to provide handmade blankets to children aged 0-18 in the United States who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.  There are chapters in every state with Texas having approximately 17 chapters. The national website is https://projectlinus.org 

Our chapter, Brazos Valley, covers the Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Milam, Robertson, Waller and Washington counties. Our blankets are distributed locally to organizations that support children. From time-to-time blankets may be shipped to other areas in the United States that may have an immediate extraordinary need. Some of the local organizations we distribute our blankets to are: Ronald McDonald House, Hope Pregnancy Center, Phoebes Home, Hope Locker - Bryan ISD, Casa (Bryan and Brenham when requested) and Chrissy’ Closet – College Station ISD (new).  

Our chapter makes machine quilted and knitted or crocheted blankets. Blankets are hand-made from new fabric or yarn by local volunteers. Blankets are dropped off at Sew Vac City in College Station, JoAnn’s Fabric in Bryan or at our monthly meetings at Sew Vac City.  Our chapter meets at 10AM on the 3rd Tuesday each month at Sew Vac City. Attending the meetings is not a requirement to be a member. You do not have to be a member to donate to the Brazos Valley chapter. 

You can make a real difference in so many ways by donating monetarily to Project Linus. We are a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Monies are used for purchasing blanket supplies. Our chapter also welcomes donated materials to make blankets such as quilt batting, cotton fabric, or acrylic or cotton yarn. We also welcome information on additional organizations that we could provide blankets to for children in need. 

We have cancelled this meeting due to Gate12 not have availability. 

Luis Villanueva

Captain of the Salvation Army. Salvation Army Day is March 10th.

Luis is from Chile, South America. His parents are Salvation Army officers so he was able to experience a lot of the ministry with different cultures and backgrounds growing up. He got his degree in translating English and Spanish. After eight months of working through the visa process he stepped foot on US ground in Salt Lake City in 2007. 

When he was working for the Western Territory all of a sudden his visa was terminated, and he had to go back to Chile. One year passed, and then the Waxahachie Corps was looking for a youth worker. They saw his resume, called him and eight months later, he's here in the Texas Division with people that he doesn't know. 

He and his wife knew that they had a calling to be Salvation Army officers but they didn't know what was going to happen. They were in Texas, and met Major Betty Jo MacDonald, who attended their corps. After a year, she said, "I think you guys have a calling to be officers." They talked about their calling, and she said, "Sure enough!" 

His advice to anyone who God has been called to be an officer is to pray! Let God confirm you, at least two or three times. If you're not sure that this is what God wants from you, instead of being a help it could be a problem for you and your family. Pray and ask God for confirmation through the Scripture and through people. It can be the greatest ministry in your life if it is a calling because God will sustain you in all those years, whether good or bad. 

Being a Salvation Army officer is totally different than only being a pastor. That's something he learned. It is a lot of work. But this is going to be the greatest opportunity that you have to impact as many people you encounter. 

This was adapted from the Salvation Army website, you can read the original here.

Get to know youe fellow Rotarians - We will have a special introduction and a couple of members will be sharing.

Kevin Joyner is the Chief Information Security Officer at Brazos County. He been there six years, but has over 25 years of experience in IT, with almost 20 of that in municipal government. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Computer Science and has had a consistent and abiding interest in security since the earliest days of the internet in the 80s.

He is married and has 5 children, all boys, that range in age from 26 to 7. He is involved in his church, where he occasionally fills in for the pastor, and staying active with his kids' activities. He hopes to one day discover this foreign concept called “free-time.”

Our nonprofit offers essential support and resources to crime victims and their families, and the law enforcements that serve us all.